Light microscopic investigation of the afferent connections of the lateral reticular nucleus in the cat

Journal Article · Fri Apr 10 00:00:00 EST 1981 · J. Comp. Neurol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.901970309· OSTI ID:5577749

Hrycyshyn, A W; Flumerfelt, B A

The topographical organization organization of the projections to the lateral reticular nucleus (LRN) of the cat was investigated using the horseradish peroxidase (HRP), silver-impregnation and autoradiographic tracing methods. Following injection of HRP into the LRN, labelled cells were found mainly within Rexed's laminae VII and VIII of the spinal cord, the contralateral red nucleus, the ventro-rostral aspect of the contralateral fastigial nucleus and the contralateral anterior sigmoid and coronal gyri of the cerebral cortex. Animals with injections of tritiated amino acids placed within the pericruciate cortex, red nucleus or fastigial nucleus were processed for autoradiography. In a corresponding series of animals, electrolytic lesions were placed selectively into the above sources of reticular afferents, and terminal degeneration within the LRN was studied by light microscopy. An extensive input from the spinal cord was found to terminate predominantly on the ipsilateral side throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the LRN, except for a small ventromedial area of the rostral parvocellular division and a small rostromedial area of the magnocellular division. The cortical projection terminated diffusely within the middle one-half of the contralateral magnocellular division, while the rubral projection terminated extensively within the contralateral subtrigeminal division and the dorsolateral region of the rostral magnocellular and neighbouring parvocellular divisions. The rubral projection did not overlap the cortical projection. The fastigial nucleus projected sparsely to the contralateral LRN, mainly to the medial aspect of the rostral two-thirds of the magnocellular division, with less to the parvocellular and subtrigeminal divisions.

• OSTI ID: 5577749
• Journal Information: J. Comp. Neurol.; (United States), Vol. 197:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
GANGLIONS
MORPHOLOGY
AMINO ACIDS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
CATS
CEREBRAL CORTEX
NERVE TISSUE
PEROXIDASES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
ANIMAL TISSUES
ANIMALS
BODY
BRAIN
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CEREBRUM
ENZYMES
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
OXIDOREDUCTASES
PORPHYRINS
TISSUES
VERTEBRATES
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